Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0
Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0

Park closure

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will be temporarily closed on Friday 28 August 2026 from 6 - 11 am (ACST) for the funeral of a senior Aṉangu woman. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will re-open at 11 am on Friday 28 August.

More information: Temporary park closure Friday 28 August 2026

The desert poplar is a tall, fast-growing, short-lived tree that sometimes sets so much seed that it bends over with the weight.

You will most likely see the desert poplar beside roads in the park, but it also grows in sand and on mulga flats and rocky hillsides.

Culture

The roots of the desert poplar are a great place to find witchetty grubs and its dense leaves make a cooling cover for babies in hot weather.

Scientific name

Codonocarpus cotinifolius

Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara name

kantuṟangu